Let's Grow Stuff

- Greetings from the garden.

My name is Ben, and welcome back to Let's Grow Stuff.

Today, we're talking native plants and how to incorporate them into your landscape.

So, let's jump in and get started.

Today, we're going to cover six of my favorite native plants, and before we do, we're going to learn a bit more about why native plants are so important.

Native plants provide some of the best habitat and food for native insects like bees, moths, wasps, and butterflies, among others.

Plants need these pollinators to produce fruit and seeds.

Native plants also provide food and shelter for larger creatures like songbirds.

Not only do birds enjoy the seed heads in autumn, the caterpillars that live on native plants are an important source of protein for songbirds.

Finally, because native plants evolved in our region, they're well-adapted to grow here and thus, are more hardy and long-lived.

Prairie plants, in particular, have deep root systems to help them access water during dry periods.

Native plants also tend to resist pests and diseases more effectively.

When it comes to aesthetics, sometimes native plants have a bad reputation for looking "messy" or "weedy."

An easy way to avoid this is to create a pattern when planting and simplify your palate.

Don't try and grow one of everything.

Instead, focus on finding one to two plants that bloom in each season and repeat those plants throughout your garden bed.

Another trick is to "frame" your native plants with something like a hedge, a small fence, or a strip of turf that you keep mowed.

These design elements help to imply intent and counteract the feeling that plants may be overgrown or neglected.

With these tools in mind, here are a few of my favorite native plants for urban landscapes.

All of these are perennial, which means they will come back year after year.

First, let's look at three plants that thrive in full sun.

First up is Monarda bradburiana, Eastern Beebalm.

This species blooms in late May to early June, topping out around 18 to 24 inches.

Its seed heads persist well into summer and offer great architectural interest, and its leaves turn a velvety iridescent purplish-red in fall.

Next, Eryngium yuccifolium, or Rattlesnake Master.

This sculptural plant looks like it belongs in the desert with its thick blue-green leaves and tall, branching stems that host clusters of little white baubles in mid-to-late summer.

A favorite of native bees and wasps, Eryngium also make a great cut flower, and it's drought-tolerant.

Finally, a favorite for late summer and early fall are Asters, specifically Symphyotrichum oblongifolium, the Aromatic Aster.

This low-growing, mounding plant will reach about two feet tall by three feet wide.

This Aster also blooms over an extended period, three to four weeks at least.

It is a workhorse!

Next up, three of my favorite native perennials that prefer to grow in shade.

First up, Mertensia virginica, Virginia Bluebells.

This wonderful woodland wildflower is one of the first and welcome signs of spring.

The foliage will turn brown and disappear by July.

Because of this, Mertensia does well when planted with something like ferns or other woodland plants.

Which brings us to Actaea racemosa.

Deeply textured leaves emerge in early spring and hold down the fort until tall, four-to-five-foot-tall whimsical white spikes of flowers emerge in late summer-- another favorite for bees.

Finally, one of my all-time favorite plants, sedges.

Today, we're looking at Carex pennsylvanica, the Pennsylvania Sedge, but there are so many amazing varieties out there for us to try.

While sedges may look like a grass, they're technically a different species.

Pennsylvania Sedge blooms in early spring with yellow and gold tufts and continues to look great throughout the year.

It will spread slowly over time and mingles very well with other woodland species.

It normally grows under six inches, so you can think of this plant as a "green" or "living mulch."

Well, there you have it.

Incorporating native plants into our landscapes adds important diversity and can help our gardens to support wildlife.

Now, don't forget there is so much more to learn online at pbswisconsin.org/ letsgrowstuff.

There, you'll find more videos, tips, tricks, and a blog to help you grow a better garden.

So, until next time, happy gardening.

- Funding for Let's Grow Stuff is provided by American Transmission Company, Ganshert Nursery & Landscapes, Willy Street Co-op, Focus Fund for Wisconsin Programming, and Friends of PBS Wisconsin.